Air Force can't win for losing

Congress has recently decided that its role in military oversight includes micromanaging. Many people in Congress have criticized the Air Force recently because procurement programs have been too risky, take too long, and have too many overruns as a result.

The Air Force has recently started to mature technologies as part of the procurement process, which will help keep costs and length of programs down. One of the early programs that will benefit from that is the JSTARS replacement program. The AF recently awarded both Raytheon and Northrop contracts to develop their radar systems, one of which will be selected in 2018 and must be ready to install on an aircraft within 2 years. The JSTARS replacement program is looking at a 2024 IOC with 17 aircraft.

Well here comes Congress. According to HASC, if the Air Force wants a second radar system option they need to develop it outside the JSTARS program, with the ability to install it in the field, because that one year delay to IOC is going to suddenly cause a shortage of 16 aircraft, after the current aircraft reach their fatigue life and have to be retired.

So now the Air Force is supposed to speed up JSTARS, buy 200 F-22s at double the cost plus restart cost, double the B-21 order, buy KC-46s, all while having their budget reduced over coming years.

www.flightglobal.com...

a reply to: Zaphod58

So now the Air Force is supposed to speed up JSTARS, buy 200 F-22s at double the cost plus restart cost, double the B-21 order, buy KC-46s, all while having their budget reduced over coming years.

Does it seem like someone is trying to handcuff the Air Force for some reason?

I remember a time when the Air Force was shown prominently on TV ads, but now you rarely see one which to me is a shame.

Or maybe I am a little jaded growing up less than a 1/8th of a mile from the front gates of MacDill AFB as a kid. It was really fun when the had air shows...those were the good old days.

a reply to: Zaphod58


It's not like the AF has done a good job, PR-wise, with the sliming and cost of both the F-22 and F-35 programs.

Wasn't it Congress that blocked F-22 exports in the first place? Follow the money trail....

a reply to: nwtrucker

No they haven't, and the F-22 export law is irrelevant to this. This is about the HASC wanting it both ways and the AF getting caught in the middle. They demand they do better with development, then when they try to do as requested, they get told that's not acceptable.

Saw a Fox news report on the state of things the other day Obama has really run down the airforce that being said the suppliers and contractors are partly to blame with $5000 bolts and $1000 dollar washers there needs to be a major senate enquiry into that side of the equation if your ever going to reign in budgets.

a reply to: khnum

That's why the generational system in aircraft HAS to be broken. The F-15A, a fourth generation fighter cost $27.9M in 1998 dollars. The C model cost $29.9M in same year dollars. The F-22, a fifth generation fighter, cost $150M in 2009.

There's no telling how much a sixth generation fighter will cost, until they decide on systems and capabilities, but there's no reason to believe that it would be under $200M based on early concept ideas tossed out.

But the problem has been building since long before Obama took office. After Desert Storm, the then CSAF (I try hard not to say that bastards name) flat out stated there was no reason to ever buy another non-stealth fighter again.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: nwtrucker

No they haven't, and the F-22 export law is irrelevant to this. This is about the HASC wanting it both ways and the AF getting caught in the middle. They demand they do better with development, then when they try to do as requested, they get told that's not acceptable.

I saw it as relevant in the sense that it was Congress that arbitrarily imposed it. Just as you were pointing this one out.

In fact, let's see some action by Congress on the ACA or a multitude of other wasteful spending rather than our military that is about the only gov't area to reduce it's spending....I didn't think I was disagreeing with you...